Here We Go Again
by creepysaxgirl13
Summary: Fourth Chapter! sorry it took longer than usual. i think it's getting a little better, so come read it. um, tasuki and chichiri are in it a lot! um, yay!
1. The Meeting

Here we go again. 03/29/03 chapter uno  
  
okay, I'm not exactly sure when this story is taking place and not all of the warriors are in it. If this chapter isn't any good, then review and I'll try to make my next one better. Thanks!  
  
***  
  
Chichiri looked up, startled. He'd heard a splash in the pond somewhere. 'That's odd,' he thought, 'there are no fish big enough to make such a splash.' Chichiri set his fishing pole aside, uncrossed his legs and stood up, scanning the water's surface for any sign of movement. Faintly he could hear Tasuki yelling about something inside the palace, probably having another argument with Tamahome. Those two could never be put in a room together without fighting.  
  
There! About in the middle of the pond, he saw a number of bubbles surfacing. Suddenly a hand broke the surface of the water and a young girl's head followed. She let out a short cry before sinking back into the water.  
  
Chichiri's mouth dropped open in surprise and he whispered, "Miaka?" Throwing off his kesa, he called, "Hold on!" then backed up a few steps to give himself a running start and jumped off the rock jutting out over the pond. He entered the water right around where the girl should be.  
  
'Cold!' his brain yelled as he entered the water with a splash. Even though it was mid April, the pond water was still fairly chilly to his warm skin. Opening his eye (eyes? I dunno) he looked around the murky water for the girl he had spotted, the girl who'd looked exactly as Miaka had. All that met his eyes (eye?) were plants, waving in the underwater currents he'd caused. Chichiri was almost ready to go back up to the surface, thinking he'd imagined it, when a motion caught his attention. Looking down to his left, he spotted the girl, sinking quickly to the bottom of the pond. She seemed to be strapped to a bag that was dragging her down.  
  
Chichiri quickly swam down towards her, his ears popping as he descended through the dark water. He noticed the girl was about to loose consciousness, as her struggles became more and more feeble. Chichiri swam even faster and reached out to the girl, taking her in his arms. Raising a hand to his face, he made a sign with his hand and suddenly a great burst of energy shot him and the girl in his arms towards the surface. He burst out of the water and flew through the air. "DAA!" he cried as he crashed to the ground on the shore of the pond. The girl landed on top of him, pushing the air out of his chest, causing him to gasp.  
  
"Chichiri!"  
  
Chichiri looked up and spotted Nuriko, standing on the covered porch that wrapped around the entire palace. His large purple eyes were wide in surprise to find a young girl lying on the monk's chest.  
  
"Nuriko!" Chichiri called, "go get help!" Nuriko turned and ran back into the palace, calling for a doctor.  
  
Chichiri quickly rolled over the girl as she began to cough up water. Chichiri turned her on her side and rubbed her back gently, glad that he had got to her in time. When she'd got her breath back, Chichiri took a better look at the girl. It wasn't Miaka.though she did look a lot like her. He lay back on the grass, his adrenalin rush wearing off. Hearing footsteps running towards him, Chichiri quickly sat up and picked the strange girl up, bag and all. Nuriko and Tasuki ran over to him, along with the palace doctor and a few servants, carrying blankets.  
  
Tasuki stopped short and looked at the girl with big eyes as Chichiri stood up. "Miaka." Tasuki said, looking up into Chichiri's face for confirmation. Chichiri shook his head. The doctor, slightly nervous about the girl's unusual clothing, seemed reluctant to examine her.  
  
"Well?" Chichiri said, a slightly annoyed tone appearing in his voice.  
  
"Uh," said the doctor, quickly looking over the young girl. "She appears to be fine. She swallowed a bit of pond water and might catch a cold from being in those wet clothes, but she'll be all right. We'll need to get her dry and put her to bed."  
  
Chichiri gently handed the girl to the servants who wrapped her up in blankets and carefully carried her into the palace. Tasuki grabbed a blanket from the doctor as he passed by and handed it to Chichiri. Chichiri smiled his thanks and wrapped it around his shoulders.  
  
"Mind telling me what's going on now?" Tasuki asked. "What're you doing fishing some girl out of the palace pond?"  
  
Chichiri ran the towel through his sky blue hair and dried off his drooping bangs. "I honestly have no idea Tasuki, no da," Chichiri said. "She was just . there."  
  
Nuriko's purple eyes swept back and forth between the two men. He could hear the birds chirping around him and looked up at the sky, watching the fluffy white clouds drift lazily across the blue sky. "She was dressed quite oddly, don't you think?" Nuriko asked.  
  
Tasuki and Chichiri looked over at the purple haired man and Chichiri said, "I don't know, Nuriko, I didn't even notice her clothing, no da."  
  
"And she looked a lot like Miaka," Nuriko continued to muse. "Maybe she's from Miaka's world. Maybe she even knows her."  
  
Tasuki looked at Nuriko, who was still staring at the sky. "But," he began, his loud voice quiet for once, "why would someone be coming here now?" He looked at Chichiri, hoping he had an answer.  
  
Chichiri said nothing and walked to where he'd dropped his kesa on the ground. Picking it up, he muttered, "I need to go change," then walked to the palace. Tasuki and Nuriko watched him then slowly trailed behind him, wondering silently about the new girl and what adventures would be bringing with her.  
  
***  
  
Chichiri lay on the bed in his room, his arms cushioning his head, watching through the window as the sun slipped below the horizon. Since his clothing was completely soaked through, Chichiri had opted to wear his black pants and a dark blue shirt, which matched his kesa perfectly. Chichiri smiled to himself, wondering how surprised the others would be to see him in such a different outfit. He doubted if any of them knew he had different clothing.  
  
Moving one arm out from under his neck, he took off his mask and laid it on a small table beside his bed. He stared up at the dark blue canopy of his bed, lost in his own thoughts. His free hand reached up to his face and traced the ugly scar over his right eye. He often did this when he was deep in thought, though he never knew why. Just one of those habits, he supposed.  
  
He remembered how he'd received the scar, the physical and emotional pain it had caused. But the pain died away, slowly, ever so slowly. Then when Miaka came, it seemed the pain returned, for he now had companions he was to always be with and surly they would ask questions about his scar. He did not blame Miaka for the emotional toll that sharing the story behind his scar caused, but he wondered if this new girl would cause the pain to come back again, just when he thought he had it under control.  
  
Chichiri closed his dark brown eye and let his hand go limp on his chest. His breathing slowed until he could no longer hear it, and could barely feel his chest moving under his hand. He'd almost fallen asleep when a knock at his door startled him and he sat up. "Yes, no do?" he asked quietly, slipping his mask back on. A servant poked his head into Chichiri's room and said, "If you want to eat anything, the dining hall is about to be closed, so you should come get some food now."  
  
Chichiri nodded as the servant turned to leave, but then called him back. "Wait, do you know where the young girl has been taken, no da?"  
  
"Young girl?" the servant asked nervously.  
  
"Yes, the girl that was found today in the pond, no da, where has she been taken?" asked Chichiri.  
  
"Um," said the servant, not wanting to anger the blue-haired monk, "she's alright where she is."  
  
"Yes, I am sure she is, no da," said Chichiri, becoming slightly annoyed, "but I asked where she is, no da."  
  
The servant bowed his head and said, "She's been taken to the prisoner chambers."  
  
"What?!" asked Chichiri. "Why? She was of no harm to anyone!"  
  
The servant man stood quiet, his head bowed.  
  
Chichiri rolled his eyes under his mask and pushed past the servant. His long strides carried him quickly down the hallway, towards the prisoner chambers.  
  
*** Prisoner Chambers are just something I made up, I don't know if there is really any such thing in the series.  
  
Chichiri slowed his pace when he approached the prisoner chambers and he came to a stop in front of the palace guards who were blocking the door. "Excuse me," Chichiri said and walked towards the door. However the guards crossed their spears across the door and put their hands up.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir," said one guard, "but we're under specific instructions not to allow anyone into this room."  
  
Chichiri studied the two guards, wondering if they were new and did not recognize him as a Warrior of Suzaku. The one who had denied him access to the prison room was a bulky man who while in his youth must have been quite muscular. His thick black mustache hid his mouth and his eyes were tiny. The other, who as of yet had not spoken, was lean and tall, with long blond hair pulled back and stuck up in his helmet.  
  
Chichiri sighed. 'Why is everyone being so strange today?' he wondered. "And who gave you these instructions, to not allow anyone to see the girl, no da?"  
  
"The palace doctor," said the guard with authority. 'I'll be having a talk with this doctor when I'm through here,' thought Chichiri.  
  
"Well, I believe my word overrules the palace doctor's," said Chichiri as he again tried to get to the door. Suddenly the two guards leapt at him and their momentum combined caused the three to crash against the walkway's railing. "DAAA!" cried Chichiri as his back hit the railing. Looking down, he saw through the darkness that he was directly over one of the small rivers running through the palace grounds. Rocks littered the riverbed and Chichiri definitely did not want to fall into a body of water twice in one day.  
  
Chichiri's slim figure slipped easily through the two guard's reaching hands. He turned around to see the guards charging at him again when they found that he was not in their custody. Acting quickly, Chichiri raised a hand to his face and cast a spell upon the two guards, freezing them in place in the middle of the walkway. Chichiri sighed and relaxed his tense muscles when he was sure that his freezing spell was holding.  
  
Chichiri slowly opened the door to the prison chambers and stepped inside. A lamp was lit, illuminating the room. In it he could see row upon row of beds. A toilet bucket stood in the far corner. This was were the most important prisoners of war were kept, which was why they were treated with a shred bit more dignity than the usual prisoners were. As his eyes scanned the room, he noticed one of the beds was rumpled, as though someone had slept there recently. Chichiri's eyes moved across the room again, but could not spot the girl.  
  
His eyebrows met in confusion. Did he hear the servant man wrong? Chichiri searched for a life force in the room, in case she was hiding from him.  
  
There. He found it.but if he was correct, then she would be directly behind him. Chichiri slowly turned around, but before his eyes could focus on the girl, something heavy was brought with a crashing force onto the base of his neck. Chichiri groaned and fell to the ground unconscious. The girl stood before him and dropped the candlestick she had used to knock Chichiri out. She knelt down beside him and felt for a pulse. Good, he was still alive.  
  
The girl stood, then stepped over the blue-haired man's limp body and exited the room.  
Whoo, how was that? Where am I going with this? Even I don't know. ha, alrighty, now it's time to review! 


	2. What Now?

Here We Go Again Chapter twoooooo 3/29/03  
  
Yay, thank you for the reviews I've received so far, you guys rock! I do have a question though: what is a 'beta-reader' and how would I go about getting/finding/using one? Thanks! ( ****  
  
"Chichiri! Chichiri, damnit, wake up!"  
  
Chichiri groaned and opened his eyes, then closed them again when a splitting pain burst into his head. Tasuki was kneeling beside him, one hand on Chichiri's back, another on his arm as he tried helping him to a sitting position.  
  
"Damn, man, I thought you were dead," Tasuki said, relieved.  
  
"Not yet, no da," Chichiri muttered, raising himself to a sitting position. Chichiri opened his eyes again, slower this time, and was relieved that the pain in his head was gradually starting to fade. His hand when to the back of his neck and felt a small lump forming on the back of his head. He hissed as his fingers gently brushed by the lump, then brought his hand away from his neck as he spotted the palace doctor entering the room, carrying his little pouch of medicines. Chichiri looked around and found the prison chamber filled with guards, but the two he'd frozen were nowhere in sight.  
  
The doctor spotted Tasuki and Chichiri sitting in the corner and rushed over to them, stopping short when his eyes found Chichiri's jagged scar. Chichiri looked up at the doctor curiously, not sure what was causing the doctor's face to twist like that until he felt a nudge beside him and saw Tasuki holding his mask.  
  
"Here," Tasuki said, handing the mask to Chichiri, who quickly put it on. "It must've fallen off when she hit you," Tasuki mumbled as an explanation.  
  
Chichiri looked up at the doctor, who now looked more ready to offer his services. Walking to him, the doctor knelt down behind Chichiri and hmm-ed at the sight of the lump on his head. "Well, she has quiet an arm, doesn't she?" asked the doctor, chuckling. Tasuki rolled his eyes at the doctor's joke.  
  
"Doctor?" Chichiri asked, jumping a bit as the doctor poked at Chichiri's injury, "why was the girl being kept in here, no da?"  
  
"I thought she might be dangerous," said the doctor, applying an ointment to the back of Chichiri's neck, causing him to jump again. "And it appears I was right."  
  
"I don't think so," said Chichiri softly. "She didn't hit me in anger. She felt that she was defending herself, she thought I was going to hurt her."  
  
"Were you?" the doctor asked nonchalantly.  
  
"What the hell kind of question is that?!" Tasuki yelled.  
  
The doctor shrugged. "He obviously wanted to get in here," the doctor replied, "even going to such lengths as to freeze two guards." Chichiri's eyes turned to the doorway and he could see out on the lamp-lit walkway the two guards still frozen there. A number of other guards stood around them, poking at the frozen guards and laughing. 'I should probably get away from here before unfreezing them,' Chichiri thought.  
  
Chichiri shrugged the doctor's hand off his neck and said seriously, "I saw no reason for her to be locked up in here like she was our enemy. No wonder she hit me, no da! It was wrong to put her in here and, as the decent man I think you are, you should have known that."  
  
Chichiri could feel the doctor's anger at him, but his voice reflected none of it when he said cheerfully, "Well, there's nothing more I can do for this lump. You should probably stay here for a while and rest though."  
  
"Stay locked up in here?" Tasuki shouted again. "Are ya out of yer mind?!" Chichiri wished Tasuki would stop yelling, it was making his head hurt.  
  
"He might have a concussion," the doctor said, "and it would be best if he just stayed where he was."  
  
Tasuki and the doctor began arguing over Chichiri's health condition, causing Chichiri's head to throb. The balding doctor's face turned red as Tasuki told him to go do something to himself (Heh, oh yeah, you know what I mean ().  
  
'Okay, enough of this,' Chichiri thought as he lurched to his feet. Tasuki jumped up beside him and grabbed his arm, steadying him. When the ground stopped spinning under Chichiri's feet, he said, "I'm fine, no da." Tasuki released his arm and Chichiri exited the room, skirting around the group of guards on the walkway.  
  
The bandit and doctor eyed each other for a moment before Tasuki exited the room after Chichiri. Looking up and down the walkway, Tasuki was surprised to see that Chichiri had already disappeared. Shrugging his shoulders, Tasuki shoved his hands into his coat pockets and slunk off towards his room.  
  
The doctor stood and went to the doorway, watching Tasuki walk away down the walkway. After a moment he turned left and was gone. The doctor raised his voice and said, "Alright, everyone, spread out and find the girl. When you have her, bring her directly to me, and, please, try to avoid the Suzaku warriors while doing this." The guards stared at him for a moment, before the doctor shouted, "GO!" The guards quickly cleared the room, leaving the doctor and the two frozen guards. The doctor walked up to the frozen men and spoke a few words under his breath. A green light enveloped the men and just as soon as it had appeared, it was gone, leaving two unfrozen and confused guards standing in the hallway. "The girl has escaped, go find her," the doctor said with an air of authority. The two guards, still slightly confused about how the blue-haired monk was gone and the doctor was now in front of them, nodded and briskly walked off down the hallway. The doctor watched them go, then turned and headed back to his chamber.  
  
***  
  
Chichiri stormed into his chamber, furious. Taking off his mask, he threw it onto his bed and took a seat in a cushioned chair. His muscles were tense, but he forced himself to relax, to calm his breathing. Chichiri bowed his head in thought. He needed to find the girl, before the guards did. He was sure the guards were out looking for her right now, thinking she was a criminal of some kind. Why were they putting such ideas into their heads? Shouldn't they have learned from their experience with Miaka that just because she was from another world didn't mean she was an enemy?  
  
Chichiri sighed and stood up, holding onto the back of the chair as the floor settled underneath him. He knew he probably should be resting now, but . well, he'd be all right.  
  
Grabbing his kesa from a table where it was laying, neatly folded, he wrapped it around himself. He grabbed his mask from his bed and put it on as he exited the room.  
  
***  
  
Tasuki stood by the railing of the walkway. He was too wired to go to bed now. Setting his hands on the railing, he leaned out into the night and looked up at the sky. The clouds were few and the full moon shone down brightly, illuminating the palace grounds below him. His amber eyes closed as he bowed his head, listening. He could hear frogs and insects chirping from the pond and birds settling down for the night. His fiery-red hair waved in the soft breeze.  
  
Suddenly Tasuki's eyes flew open as his sensitive ears heard a noise behind him: a creak, or a footstep, moving through the shadows of the walkway. He listened to the faint shuffling of feet against the floor, the slight rustling of clothing. It had to be the girl, Tasuki was sure of it.  
  
Tasuki straightened, making his movements casual. He listened as the girl drew closer, was almost directly behind him. Tasuki's muscles became tense as he debated whether to grab her, or to let her go. On the one hand, he sure as hell did not want to see her in the hands of the palace guards. Sure, they were okay and everything as far as guards went, but you put one drink into them and there was no telling what could happen. On the other hand, Tasuki thought, the girl had attacked on of his best friends and he was not happy about that, to put it lightly.  
  
As Tasuki carried on his mental debate, he could hear that the girl was probably right behind him now. He decided he might as well let her go on. 'Hell, she's not my problem,' he thought.  
  
Just then Tasuki heard another sound, a louder, more masculine sound.  
  
"Girlie!" called a guard, obviously drunk. "Com'er, girlie!" A second guard called, "We'll not hurt you, we just want to play!" The two guards laughed  
  
Tasuki looked up and watched as two fairly muscular men turned off one of the halls and started walking down the walkway towards him and the girl. 'Damn, change of plans,' he thought, deciding it might not be a good idea to leave the girl at the mercy of guards such as these.  
  
Dashing across the walkway, Tasuki ducked into the shadows where the girl was hiding. Reaching out his hands, he caught the girl by her shoulders, stopping her from running out on to the walkway. He turned her so her back was to his stomach and clamped a warm hand over her mouth. She let out a squeak and fought against Tasuki's strong arms.  
  
"Hold still, will ya?" Tasuki hissed into the girl's hair as he pressed his back against the palace wall, making sure the two of them were as hidden as possible. The girl continued to struggle against him and Tasuki whispered into her ear, "Look, I doubt you want to be taken into the custody of our two friends up there so please be still." Though Tasuki could still feel how tense her muscles were, he was relieved that she finally stopped moving. "Good," he said, "now keep quiet." Tasuki gently removed his hand from the girl's mouth, but kept his other arm wrapped tightly around her, pressing her to him.  
  
Tasuki watched the two guards moving closer, swaying back and forth as they continued to giggle for no apparent reason. 'Damn, I thought I was the only one allowed to get plastered around here,' Tasuki thought.  
  
As the guards staggered forward, Tasuki couldn't help but noticing the girl he held in his arms. He was nearly a foot taller than she, though he guessed that her strange shoes added at least an inch to her height. Her soft dark brown hair was cut short, no longer than her chin, and it tickled his nose and lips. She smelled a bit like the pond water she'd fallen into earlier that day and her clothing was still a bit damp-though if it was from the water or her own perspiration, he wasn't sure. He looked down at her clothing, at her small, form-fitting white shirt with no sleeves, and her baggy black pants. How those pants stayed on her slim hips without the aid of a belt was a mystery to him. She also wore a black bag that hung off her left shoulder and rested at her right hip.  
  
The guards were closer now, much closer and Tasuki wondered how long he'd been staring at the girl. He watched as the girl's neck craned back and her eyes met his own. Tasuki's stomach did a flop under her intense gaze and he noticed that while her face had the same shape of Miaka's, her features were different.  
  
"Who are you? Where am I?" she whispered.  
  
Tasuki tore his eyes away from hers and watched the guards as one stumbled onto the other. The first guard laughed at the second and pushed him to his knees.  
  
"Shhhh!" he hissed at her.  
  
Tasuki felt the girl sigh and decided it would be all right to risk a short conversation, as long as the guards were making all their noise. "My name's Tasuki," he said quietly into her ear. "Now who are you?" He decided to refrain from asking the question of how the hell she'd got here, since she obviously didn't know either.  
  
"My name's Anna," she said.  
  
"Good. Now be quiet."  
  
This time Anna didn't sigh as she watched the second guard climb to his feet. Together the two guards began walking towards them again. A slight shiver ran down Anna's back and Tasuki wondered if it was from the slight chill in the night air, or possibly from her fear of the two approaching guards. Tasuki watched her eyes widen as the guards were now only feet away from them. She pressed herself closer to him, and as she did so Tasuki's cheeks turned an alarming shade of red as she pressed against a certain sensitive area.  
  
'Damnit, you're so slow!' Tasuki's mind shouted at the guards. Tasuki watched over the girl's head as the guards passed right by them, not even looking once in their direction. As they moved away, Tasuki's grip on Anna lessened. Leaning out of the shadows, Tasuki watched the guards turn down another hall and disappear. He leaned back against the palace wall, eyes closed and breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
Opening his eyes, Tasuki cried out, seeing Chichiri's masked face inches from his own. Jumping away from Chichiri, Tasuki clutched his chest and yelled, "Damnit, Chichiri!"  
  
"Sorry about that Tasuki, no da," said Chichiri, smiling.  
  
Tasuki scowled at him. "Don't do that! I nearly had a heart attack!. what's wrong?" Tasuki asked, noticing a Chichiri's attention was being focused on something else.  
  
Chichiri looked around and said, "Perhaps we should get off this walkway. I believe there are more guards coming this way, no da."  
  
"C'mon, we'll go to my room," Tasuki said, walking off down the walkway in the direction the two drunken guards had gone.  
  
Chichiri looked down Anna, still hiding in the shadows, and smiled at her. "Hello again," he said. Anna lowered her eyes, remembering how she'd injured him and followed Tasuki down the walkway.  
  
Tasuki opened a random door to a well-lit bedroom and waited for Anna and Chichiri to enter before walking in and shutting and locking the door behind him.  
  
Turning around, Tasuki leaned against the closed door and sighed. Looking to Chichiri, he asked, "Now what?"  
  
***  
  
Good question, Tasuki, I'm not sure. Review and we'll find out! 


	3. I'm sorry

Here We Go Again! Chapter 3eeeee 03/31/03  
  
Whoo, more reviews! Oh, man, I forgot to put on the other two chapters that the Fushigi Yuugi characters don't belong to me. Uh, well, they don't belong to me . . . but Anna does. Yeah, she's mine. Cool. Okay, so read on! Oh, thank you Otaku Pitcher for you suggestions on beta-readers and such! :- D I'm defiantly going to check that out.  
  
***  
  
"Anna! . . . Anna?"  
  
Yui stood next to Miaka and looked into the extra bedroom in Miaka's apartment. "So, who am I supposed to be meeting?" she asked, tucking a piece of her golden hair behind her ear.  
  
"My cousin," mumbled Miaka. "She's visiting from America." She stepped into the room and began searching for Anna.  
  
Yui watched as Miaka looked under a pile of clothing and sighed, "I don't think she's in here." Noticing Miaka hadn't responded, she changed the subject and said a little louder, "I didn't know you had family in America."  
  
"Mmhmm," said Miaka, "my mom's sister lives over there." Miaka opened the closet door and peered in, finding only a heap of clothing on the floor.  
  
Yui peeked over Miaka's shoulder and commented, "Not the neatest person, is she?"  
  
"Eh, she is in her own way," Miaka said, closing the door.  
  
"So why did your cousin come over here and your aunt not?" Yui asked.  
  
"Well, I think my mom and my aunt had a fight or something and since then they haven't spoken a word to each other," Miaka said, giving the room one last look, before exiting. Yui followed right behind her to hear her say, "But my mom said she couldn't blame Anna for her mother's stubbornness, so Anna comes over to visit every few years."  
  
Miaka sighed as they entered the kitchen. "I can't think where's she's gone to. I know Anna doesn't know her way around here very well so she wouldn't just venture off on her own . . ." Miaka looked around the kitchen and dining room, where Anna had always kept her bag of stuff for 'just in case'.  
  
'Those American's are so weird,' Miaka had thought when Anna first showed it to her.  
  
". . . but her bag is gone," continued Miaka.  
  
"Well, wherever she's gone, I'm sure she'll be back soon, right?" Yui said, walking over towards the refrigerator. Opening the door, she poked her head in and said, "I'm starving!"  
  
"Isn't that usually my line?" Miaka asked, laughing. Turning to the dining room table, Miaka's laugh was abruptly cut short. Yui looked up at her friend, who had her back to her. "Miaka, what's wrong?" she asked.  
  
Miaka couldn't say anything, so she merely pointed to the open book on the table. Yui abandoned the refrigerator, leaving the door wide open, and stood close behind Miaka.  
  
"Is that-"  
  
"How could-"  
  
"Where did it come from?"  
  
"I have no idea," Miaka said, staring at a book called The Universe of the Four Gods.  
  
"Well," said Yui, "I think we know where your cousin is."  
  
***  
  
Anna lay in her new, more comfortable bed, in a room that was not used primarily for prisoners of war. Chichiri and Tasuki had had a talk with the Emperor, who requested that Anna be accommodated with the best room available. He also requested to speak with the doctor for placing Anna in the prisoner chambers without receiving his direct permission.  
  
Anna's room was only a door down from Chichiri's, which made her feel slightly better about the whole 'being in a different world' thing. At least she knew there were people here, such as Tasuki and Chichiri, who cared about her well-being.  
  
Though it was near midnight and her room was dark, Anna could faintly make out the furniture in her room: the ornately carved chairs covered in cushions, the closet filled with beautiful gowns (which she probably would not wear, as she hated wearing dresses), and the huge bed she was now lying in. Anna had never slept in such a large bed and wondered if they were made so big to simply take up space in the large rooms.  
  
Her thoughts drifted back to the conversation she'd had with Chichiri and Tasuki, who'd introduced themselves as warriors of Suzaku. Anna said that she'd heard of them, which surprised the two men greatly.  
  
"You know us?" asked Chichiri.  
  
"I mean, I've heard of you from Miaka-"  
  
"You know Miaka?" Tasuki interrupted.  
  
"Well, yeah," Anna said, her eyes moving between Tasuki and Chichiri, "she's my cousin. I was visiting her, and she told me this far-fetched story about her being a priestess and summoning some God . . . I didn't believe her . . . but I guess I do now."  
  
Chichiri continued to stair at her and Tasuki moved back a step so he could lean his weight against the wall behind him. Anna sighed, exasperated, and said, "Look, why am I here? All I know was there was a book and a green light and suddenly I was falling through water . . ."  
  
Neither man said anything. "Well?" Anna cried, shoving herself out of the chair she'd been sitting in. "Aren't you going to do anything?"  
  
Tasuki looked at Chichiri as Chichiri's brows met. "I'm sorry, no da, but I'm not sure that there's too much I can do for you."  
  
Anna slowly sank back down into the wooden chair and folded her arms across her chest, hugging herself. "Then it's hopeless," she mumbled.  
  
"No, wait, that's not what he said," Tasuki said, pushing himself away from the wall. Walking over to Chichiri, who was standing near the bedside table, he murmured, "Look, Tamahome and Hotohori were able to get Miaka back when she became real sick, right? She can be sent back too, can't she?"  
  
Anna watched as the bandit and monk conversed quietly. "Yes, no da, but it was only possible because the connection between Miaka's world and ours remained open and we don't know if it is in this case." Tasuki sighed and glanced over at Anna, who quickly averted her eyes to the ground.  
  
"But I suppose it's worth a try, no da," Chichiri said after a long pause.  
  
Anna looked up again as Tasuki moved away from Chichiri and resumed his position against the wall. "Well?" Anna asked. "Still hopeless?"  
  
Chichiri looked at her and smiled, then presented her with the solution. "It worked once before," Chichiri said, "it could possibly work again."  
  
Anna nodded. Possibly was better than nothing. "Thank you," Anna said.  
  
Anna's thoughts came back to the present as she realized she'd been staring at the light blue canopy above her bed. Her eyes began to close as sleep started to take over her brain.  
  
Suddenly a thought jerked her wide awake. 'Damn,' she thought, 'I forgot to apologize to Chichiri for his bruised head.' Anna had managed to catch a glimpse of the damage she'd caused on the back of Chichiri's head, and even though she'd attacked him, he'd treated her with such respect . . .  
  
"I can apologize tomorrow, first thing," Anna muttered, not wanting to get out of bed and do what she would probably do anyway.  
  
'No, you'll talk to him now,' said a little voice in the back of her head.  
  
"Suppose he's asleep?" Anna asked.  
  
'You won't know unless you go check . . .'  
  
"Damn."  
  
Anna threw back her covers and jumped out of the ridiculously large bed. Padding across the dark floor, Anna reached her hands out and felt for her jacket, which was lying across the back of one of her chairs. The jacket had dried from her dip in the pond and Anna had shoved it in her bag until she'd received her room. Anna put it on over her tank top that she'd worn under her white sleeveless shirt.  
  
Walking to the door, Anna decided she didn't need her shoes to walk one door down from where she was. Stepping outside, she breathed in the fresh night air, preferring it to the perfumed fragrance floating around in her room. She walked a few yards down the walkway, stopping outside Chichiri's door. Looking down, she could see light shining through the crack between the door and the ground. Anna sighed and turned around. She hated apologies, though she knew Chichiri deserved one.  
  
Anna walked to the railing of the walkway and looked up into the night sky. The clouds were gone and the full moon was just beginning to make it's descent towards the horizon. Anna looked at the watch she wore around her wrist and was surprised to see the hands frozen at 3:36 pm, around the time when she found the book on Miaka's table. Grumbling, Anna took off the watch and shoved it in her coat pocket.  
  
Suddenly, a soft light flooded over Anna as the door behind her opened. Anna spun around and found Chichiri standing in his doorway, staring at her with a surprised look. "Anna?" Chichiri asked "What are you doing up so late, no da?"  
  
"Uh," Anna began, "I, uh . . ."  
  
"Would you like to come in and talk?" Chichiri asked, his smile ever- present as he stepped aside from the doorway. Anna stared at him for a moment before accepting the offer and walking into his room. Chichiri closed the door behind them and extended his hand to a chair across from his bed, which Anna took a seat in. Anna brought her legs up and she sat cross-legged in the comfortable chair as Chichiri continued with his preparations for bed.  
  
"So, uh, Chichiri," Anna began, "what keeps you up so late?"  
  
"I was meditating, no da," Chichiri said, smiling as he took off his kesa and folded it neatly on his bed. "What you said earlier caught my attention as being a little . . . off, no da."  
  
"As if this whole situation isn't already 'off'," Anna mumbled. Chichiri smiled and carried his kesa to his bedside table. A golden staff stood next to it, propped up against the wall.  
  
Turning back to her, Chichiri continued. "You mentioned a green light surrounding you before the book summoned you here, correct?" Anna nodded. "See, no da, that's what is confusing. When Miaka came here, the light associated with her traveling back and forth between the two worlds was always red, like the God she summoned, Suzaku."  
  
Anna stared at him. Seeing she wasn't following him, Chichiri said, "This means that you came here not for the summoning of our God, but for that of another. The question is, what God? There are only four and all of those have been called forth, no da."  
  
"So . . . why am I here?" Anna asked, her confusion evident in her voice.  
  
"I am not yet sure about that, no da," Chichiri said, walking to the bed post nearest her and leaning against it. He watched her bow her head slightly, and could tell she was thinking. Her brown hair fell from behind her ears and veiled her face. Her thin gray jacket was baggy around her small frame and Chichiri noticed her shirt was different. More of her flat stomach showed above her black pants.  
  
Chichiri mentally slapped himself for staring at her and cleared his throat. Anna looked up at him as he said, "Well, I think it's time we went to bed now, no da." Anna nodded and stood up from the chair. Chichiri walked to the door and opened it for her. Anna stepped outside, but turned around and placed a hand on the door, making sure he didn't close it.  
  
"Look, about earlier today," Anna said, her eyes staring intently at her socks, "I' m sorry. If I'd known who you were, what a kind person you are . . . I didn't want to hurt you."  
  
Chichiri smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder, taking Anna's attention off her socks and focusing it on him. "I know you didn't."  
  
"Please don't be angry with me," Anna said, knowing the plea sounded childish, but not able to find anything else to say.  
  
"I never was, no da," Chichiri said. Anna smiled and placed her hand atop the one on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze, causing Chichiri's cheeks to turn a light red under his mask. Then she turned and headed back to her room. Chichiri watched her enter and close her door behind her. Sighing, he stepped back into his room and closed the door.  
  
***  
  
Whoo, another chapter done. Hmm, Anna sure is making a lot of people blush, isn't she? Heh, okay, well, review please! 


	4. 4444

Here We Go Again! Chapter f.o.u.r. 4/3/03  
  
Whoo, it's April! ten days until my birthday! Um . . . Okay, none of the characters belong to me, except Anna, and the doctor, he belongs to me too, though I don't like him much. Eh.  
  
OH, sorry that it took me longer to update than usual. This chapter is a little longer and took me a bit more time to write. Hope it's okay!  
  
***  
  
The Emperor's most trusted advisor, Henikou Taui, looked up and down the hallway he stood in. No one was in sight, so he gave a cautious rap with his hand on the door in front of him, feeling slightly nervous. It wasn't so much the person who resided on the other side of the door that made his stomach tighten, it was the smell of the room. The smell, like something had died and begun to decompose, always made his stomach flop and he was careful to never eat anything before paying a visit to the good doctor.  
  
The doctor opened his door a crack and peeked out. Spotting Taui, he sneered, but opened the door a little further, allowing the advisor's slim body to slip through the crack.  
  
The squat doctor turned around as he closed the door, leaning his weight against it, and then locking it. The advisor stood still, allowing his beady black eyes to adjust to the dim lights in the room. Incense burned at various locations, adding to the disgusting smell of the doctor's living quarters. "What is that horrid stench?" the advisor's slick voice asked, his eyes finally focusing on the doctor and his nose wrinkling at the smell.  
  
"It is my medicines," the doctor replied.  
  
'Of course,' Taui thought to himself.  
  
The doctor moved away from the door and knelt before a makeshift shrine in the corner of his room. A small stool stood for an alter and numerous dead rats lay about it, their blood splattered around the floor and wall. A medium-sized scroll, very dirty and torn in many places, lay open before the alter. Picking up one of the fresher rats, the doctor cut off its head and squeezed the blood out onto the paper. The advisor watched as the blood sank into the characters written on the scroll.  
  
"Why do you feed it rat blood?" asked Taui, slightly repulsed at the scene before him.  
  
"Because," said the doctor, throwing aside the dead rat body and grabbing a clean towel, "rat blood is a vile thing, just as this God I worship is a vile creature, and with enough sickening, repulsive energy, it can grow to such an evil power as to overthrow the all other gods!"  
  
The advisor stood still, staring down at the doctor and his scroll. "I am curious, Sari," the advisor said to the doctor, "how exactly did you come across . . . that?" He pointed to the scroll and averted his eyes from the gory mess.  
  
Doctor Sari stood and deposited the bloody towel on a pile of bloody towels at the opposite end of the room. Taui watched him, his slanted eyes squinting in the darkness.  
  
Turning to face Taui, the doctor began, his eyes gleaming, "I was in the woods, searching for the herbs for my medicines, when I came across a cave. It smelled of rotting leaves and the air was humid, very humid. Entering the cave, I walked along the path for many minutes until I could hardly see my hand before my face, when I heard a voice. It was raspy, very dry, and it called out to me, commanded me to take it out of the cave, to feed and care for it until it was strong. It promised me great power and long life in return for my services and faithfulness."  
  
"And you have a guarantee that the voice will follow through with its promises?" asked Taui, his voice casual, but his eyes flashing through the darkness at the doctor.  
  
"It will be true to its word!" the doctor hissed, glaring at the advisor. "I know it will. The voice does not lie."  
  
"And why is it I can not hear this voice?" Taui asked, his cold stare gazing directly back into the doctor's sneer.  
  
"Because you are not a faithful follower, as I am," the doctor spat, drawing himself closer to Taui. "You only care about sharing the benefits while I do all the work."  
  
"How dare you!" cried the advisor. If there was one thing he detested, it was being accused of laziness. "I watch the Emperor. I tell you when your eccentricities will be allowed. I helped you find a suitable priestess for this God and helped you bring her here! If it were not for me, you would be in the dungeon for throwing that girl into the prisoner chambers without permission of the Emperor! . . . and you dare accuse me of being unfaithful . . ."  
  
There was a moment of silence between the two slimy men. Finally Taui folded his arms across his chest and spoke up, saying, "But I did not come here to argue with you. I came to discuss the matter of the priestess."  
  
Doctor Sari looked up at the advisor and asked, "What matter? Everything is going fine."  
  
"Everything is not fine!" the advisor stated, his impatience with the doctor showing through his usually emotional face. "Those warriors of Suzaku, the ones who've raised so much hell over her, they believe they know a way to send the girl back to her world."  
  
"Your mortal worries are of no concern to my God," answered the doctor, "for he IS a God and will not be allowing his priestess to leave so soon."  
  
The advisor shook his head, still doubting the whole situation. "You have no assurance that she will cooperate with your plans."  
  
"Oh, she will cooperate," said the doctor, a sinister smile spreading over his pudgy face, "or she will die."  
  
***  
  
Anna sat on the railing of the walkway, her thin arm wrapped around one of the wooden posts supporting the roof. A gentle breeze swept through her thick brown hair, causing her to have to reach up and re-tuck it behind her ear. She looked out at the beautiful scenery set before her: the light blue pond, which she would make sure to stay away from, the tall trees supporting their branches full of green leaves, the gently sloping hills. It definitely felt like Spring here, even though back in her world it was near the end of Summer.  
  
'This is crazy,' Anna thought to herself. 'I'm not suppose to want to be here, yet . . . I'm enjoying it. I like this place, without the sounds of backed up traffic, without the smog-filled air. And the company is much better.' Looking across the pond, Anna could make out Chichiri, sitting with his fishing pole on a large rock jutting out over the water. He looked so peaceful there, like an animal in its natural habitat.  
  
Anna looked down at her clothing and wished she'd had time to pack something before being whisked into this new world. Her bag, although somewhat large, didn't contain much that could be of use to her here. Her cell phone and camera had been ruined by the water, and her money was of no value. Her journal was still damp and was drying out on one of the tables in her room. She had one change of clothing with her, for in case she ever became lost in Japan, but those clothes were also still slightly damp and needed drying. Other assorted items and souvenirs from Japan lay in the bottom of the bag and Anna had decided to just leave them alone for now.  
  
Anna leaned her head against the wooden pole and watched Chichiri fish. She supposed he spent his free time fishing for fun or something, because it wasn't like the palace was in need of food. Today at breakfast Anna had been astounded at the array of food set before her, but only ate a small amount of the fruit. Anna knew she was something like Miaka, but she for sure did not have Miaka's appetite.  
  
Suddenly a voice called behind her, "BOO!" Anna nearly jumped off the railing and probably would have if she'd not been hanging onto the pole so tightly. Looking behind her, she glared at a smiling Tasuki, who moved to stand beside her. He set his elbows down on the railing, and clasped his hands, which hung out over the rail. Anna punched him hard in the shoulder and said, "You shouldn't scare people like that! What if I'd fallen?"  
  
"Nah," said Tasuki, "I wouldn't have let you fall."  
  
Anna's glare faded away from her face and she looked away, back to the pond. She watched as Chichiri took a tiny fish off his pole and threw it back out into the water.  
  
Tasuki's eyes followed Anna's to Chichiri and then looked back up at her. Feeling the need to keep a conversation going, Tasuki straightened up and poked at her ribs, fingering the cloth wrapped around her chest and upper abdomen. Anna jumped again and looked down into Tasuki's eyes, which seemed quite interested in Anna's strange choice of clothing. His hand was warm on her cool skin and was much softer than it appeared.  
  
"You girls are actually allowed to wear so little clothing in yer world?" Tasuki asked, his eyes glancing at Anna's bare shoulders before looking into her face.  
  
Anna looked down at her white tank top and baggy pants. "Well," Anna said, brushing a mosquito off her shoulder nearest the pole then returning his gaze, "I usually don't wear this as a shirt, but it felt so nice outside today that I just decided to give my skin some air . . ." She smiled at him and continued, ". . . that, and the rest of my clothing is still a little damp."  
  
Tasuki nodded and moved his hand away from Anna's side, then resumed his position leaning against the railing. Anna turned her head back in the direction of the Chichiri's pond, as she'd begun to think of it, but her eyes kept finding their way back to the man next to her. The first thing they always sought was his mane of bright, red hair. Then her eyes traveled down his face, stopping once at his beautiful eyes and again at his full mouth. Seeing Tasuki's eyes moving to meet her own, she quickly averted her gaze back to Chichiri. When she felt it was safe to look again, she returned her eyes to the smooth, tan skin of his neck, where she spotted two necklaces. Anna didn't remember the jewelry from the night before, but then realized he had not worn his large, black jacket today. She noted how his whole appearance changed without the black jacket. He looked much more friendly, not so intimidating.  
  
Anna reached down and gingerly fingered the jewelry, turning the gems back and forth in her fingers, letting them catch the sunlight and watching them glow. Tasuki's eyes moved to watch her, as Anna released the pole and leaned down next to his head to examine the necklaces better. One string of beads had more red colors in it; the other had more blue colors. Anna continued to admire them and a small smile spread across her pale face. "They're very nice," Anna said, looking up into Tasuki's eyes, then returning them to his jewelry when she found he was staring at her.  
  
Tasuki observed Anna as she studied his beads. He could feel his face turning slightly pink at her being so close to him. He wanted to move away, or to tell her to get the hell out of his damn face, like he did to any girl who came that close to him. That would be normal thing for him to do, right? Because he hated girls . . . right?  
  
But then Tasuki did something that greatly surprised himself. He slowly leaned closer to Anna, smelling the perfumed fragrance of her room and the fruit she'd eaten for breakfast. His gaze moved from her smiling face to her delicate fingers, which gently rubbed the smooth gems he wore around his neck. He could feel the heat from her hand spreading over his skin. His eyes drifted slightly upward and he spotted Anna's tank top, struggling to restrain her breasts against the pull of gravity. Tasuki quickly turned his eyes away as his blush roared to life, and he feared that if Anna touched his red cheeks, the heat radiating from his face might burn her hand.  
  
Suddenly she noticed how close she was to his face and could feel her own beginning to warm from her embarrassment. Anna wondered why he hadn't pushed her away, like most guys did when she came to close. She looked up into his amber colored eyes, only to find him staring straight back into her own. Time seemed to stop between the two people. Anna could feel Tasuki moving slightly closer, but she sat frozen, afraid and excited all at the same time.  
  
Chichiri looked up from his fishing pole and stared across the pond, his eyes searching for where Anna had been sitting. Finding her, he nearly dropped his pole in surprise. Even though the distance between them was great, Chichiri could tell by the man's fiery red hair that it was Tasuki leaning into Anna's face. His cheeks grew warm under his mask and Chichiri's eyes swept the area, making sure no one else was around before raising his hand to his face and making a strange hand motion. Calling up his magic, Chichiri threw it at a tree near Anna and Tasuki. A flock of birds, disturbed by the shaking tree flew off the branches, crying their loud calls.  
  
Anna could nearly feel Tasuki's lips upon hers, he was so close . . . she' never had a guy so close to her before, so close that she could smell his sent of earth and rain and . . . Fire? Suddenly a loud cry startled Anna and she dropped the beads from her hand and pushed herself away from Tasuki, watching a flock of birds fly out of one of the nearby trees.  
  
Tasuki ducked as a bird flew over his head, then watched it race out to meet it's flock in the sky. Slowly the birds descended back into their tree. Tasuki quickly straightened up and asked, "What the hell was wrong with them?" Anna shook her head.  
  
Tasuki turned to look at Anna, his blush returning, and cleared his throat. "I'm, uh, I'm going to see what Nuriko is up to," he said.  
  
Anna nodded, not daring to look up at him, and said, "Maybe we can have another talk sometime."  
  
Anna said nothing more as he walked off down the walkway. Lifting her gaze from her shoes, Anna looked out across the pond and spotted Chichiri watching her. Anna sighed, wondering if her blush was so bright that Chichiri could see it.  
  
***  
  
Chichiri sat in a chair in his room, thinking. He took off his mask and stared at its smiling face before tossing it onto his bed. Sighing he lay back against the chair, brushing a hand through his crazy blue bangs. Ever since he'd sent the flock of birds on Anna and Tasuki, he'd felt a pang of guilt in his chest and had avoided the two for the rest of the day. However during his avoiding, he noticed that Anna and Tasuki had been making sure to keep a good distance between each other as well.  
  
'I know Tasuki likes her, no da,' Chichiri thought, 'even if he himself doesn't know it. I should just be a good friend and not interfere with them anymore. But . . .'  
  
'But what?' Chichiri continued. 'But you don't think they'll work out? But you don't know if Anna shares Tasuki's feelings? But you wished you were the one in Tasuki's position this morning?'  
  
Chichiri sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. 'This is pointless,' he thought. 'It would not matter how she felt towards me because I am a monk and I am not allowed such relationships . . . there . . . I have my reason to leave them be.'  
  
He stared out the window at the stars in the dark sky, but suddenly sat up straight, listening. All around him he could hear pops of electricity as the pressure built up in the room. He stood as a loud, raspy voice called, "Chichiri! I must speak with you, immediately!" The pressure fell back into its normal settings, causing his ears to pop and the electric cracks died down. Chichiri sighed, walking to his closet and pulling out his kasa. 'I hate it when she does that,' Chichiri mused, placing the hat on his head. 'Everything in my room is going to have static-cling now.'  
  
Chichiri let the hat fall over his head and shoulders and continue on down to his feet, transporting him to Taiitsukun's mountain.  
  
* Sorry, I don't know what Taiitsukun's home/mountain is called, so if someone could tell me that would be really helpful *  
  
Within seconds, Chichiri landed with a thud on a pearly colored marble floor. He lay there, dazed, for a moment or two.  
  
"I'm glad you could get here so quickly," Taiitsukun's voice called. Chichiri jumped to his feet and stood before his creator and teacher. Taiitsukun floated in front of him, her baggy skin and gray hair looking just the same as it had the last time he'd seen her.  
  
"Good evening," Chichiri chimed. His eye quickly swept over the room and he breathed a small sigh of relief when he found that none of the Nayn- Nayns were present.  
  
Taiitsukun grumbled and floated closer to her student. "I'll get straight to the point, Chichiri. I need you to bring that girl here immideatly. She must leave this world as soon as possible, or she will be responsible for its destruction."  
  
Chichiri's brown eye was open wide in surprise. "Taiitsukun, I . . . I don't understand . . ." How could that be possible? Anna was not evil, this he was sure of.  
  
"There are those whom wish to use her against herself and against this whole world," Taiitsukun continued. "She has been summoned here to act as the priestess of a most evil and ancient God, Chiciou. Do you know that name?"  
  
Chichiri tried to think back to his earliest lessons with Taiitsukun, lessons about the old and present-day gods. "The name does sound familiar, but I thought he was imprisoned in a scroll and buried deep beneath the earth?"  
  
"It appears you paid more attention to your studies than I thought you did," Taiitsukun said. "Yes, he was locked away, but that was thousands of years ago and the earth changes with time," Taiitsukun replied, becoming bored with her present position and floating to Chichiri's right. "His scroll has recently been discovered, and it is unfortunate for us that the discoverer was a man with great magical power, not unlike yourself. He has both a mean and the motive to use the God to his benefit. However Chiciou's original priestess died many, many years ago."  
  
Here Taiitsukun paused, knowing Chichiri would be able to fill in the rest. Chichiri stared at the Creator and said quietly, "So Anna was brought into our world to be used as his priestess." Chichiri sighed and said, "Well, it would make sense I suppose, seeing as how she is related to a priestess herself and had a number of the same traits as Miaka."  
  
He paused to think a moment, watching as Taiitsukun floated to his left, before saying, "But calling someone from Miaka's world into our own would take more power than any one mortal could possess."  
  
"There is obviously more than one follower of Chiciou," Taiitsukun concurred. "In fact, I believe a number of them reside within the Konan (is this correct?) Palace walls." Chichiri stared at Taiitsukun as she continued, "There is an aura of evil surrounding the palace, as a number of Chiciou's most loyal followers are members of Hotohori's staff and court." A mental picture of the palace doctor appeared in Chichiri's mind, labeling him as dangerous.  
  
Chichiri nodded and picked up his hat, saying, "Alright, I'll bring Anna to you right now." He began to place his hat on his head when Taiitsukun called out to him.  
  
"No, you may not use your kasa or kesa to bring your new friend here, for where as you are warrior of one of the four official gods in our land, she is neither warrior or priestess of any of them, therefore, you can not simply transport her here as you do for yourself."  
  
Chichiri shook his head. He knew better than to argue with the Creator, but said, more to himself than to her, "This trip will not be made easy for us."  
  
"I have faith in your ability to protect her," Taiitsukun said. "Now leave. The sooner you get back, the sooner you can leave again." Chichiri nodded and pulled his hat over his head.  
  
He landed in his closet, banging against the door and crashing to the floor when it swung open. Rubbing his head, Chichiri muttered, "I need to work on my landings, no da."  
  
***  
  
Hmmm, interesting, yes? Or no? well, I won't know unless you guys review!!! 


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